By Angela Atabo
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, says Nigeria’s national Compressed Natural Gas(CNG) drive is crucial to the government’s sustainable transport vision under President Bola Tinubu.
Mahmoud stated this at the 2nd Annual CNG Conference and World Sustainable Transport Day commemoration held at the National Open University of Nigeria, on Thursday in Abuja.
The Minister was represented by the Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Mr Michael Bawa.
She said that the shift to CNG was not merely a technical upgrade, but a strategic investment driven by the need for national survival and economic transformation.
She explained that the FCT Administration, under Nyesom Wike was setting the pace by re-engineering Abuja’s transport system to embody efficiency, sustainability, and convenience.
“The FCT Administration is committed to expanding refuelling infrastructure and enacting policies that encourage alternative fuels while discouraging high-emission transport practices,” she said.
Mahmoud, therefore, urged stakeholders across the private sector, technical fields, financing, and transport operators to unify with the government’s commitment, stressing that Nigeria’s future depended on swift and collective action.
She described the conference as a platform to solidify national unity in building a cost-effective, low-emission transport system fueled by Nigeria’s natural resources.
The minister expressed the confidence that decisions at the conference would secure a cleaner Nigeria for future generations.
She underscored the FCT’s leadership role in Nigeria’s sustainable transport agenda which aligned closely with federal government priorities for environmental and economic progress.
In her remarks, Hajiya Maryam Ibrahim, the Managing-Director and Chief Executive Officer of Automotive Gas Nigeria Services Limited (Autogas Nigeria), noted that Nigeria stood at a defining moment in its energy transition journey.
She revealed that the establishment of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) was not merely a response to global climate demands.
“It was a strategic economic reform aimed squarely at reducing fuel costs, improving energy security, and driving inclusive growth right here at home.”
Ibrahim applauded President Bola Tinubu for midwifing the Presidential CNG Initiative,
He described it as a catalyst for a CNG revolution that would boost the Nigerian economy and advance the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)